The killings baffled investigators at the time, as there were no witnesses to the crimes. Now, 31-year-old David Ponce and 25-year-old Max Rafael, who are alleged members of the Nutwood Watts criminal street gang, are charged with the murders.
Authorities say Ponce had an ongoing dispute over drugs with one of the victims, 44-year-old Lorenzo Villicana, and killed the other four victims to ensure there would be no witnesses...
The 2008 victims were identified as:
Vanessa Malaepule, 34 of Carson
Lorenzo Villicana, 44 of Long Beach
Katherine Lynn Verdun, 24 of Long Beach
Frederick Doyle Neumeier, 53 of Long Beach
Hamid Shraifat, 41 of Signal Hill